Panthers’ runners take state crown

The Starr’s Mill Panthers rode three top-6 individual finishes Friday morning on the Carrollton course to take the AAAAA state championship in boys’ cross-country. It is the Panthers’ first-ever state title, boys or girls, in the sport.

The McIntosh Chiefs, after sweeping the state championships last year, finished second in both boys and girls.

According to results released Friday morning by the Georgia High School Association, the Starr’s Mill boys won with 71 points while McIntosh finished with 86.

The McIntosh girls finished just three points behind Woodland-Cartersville’s score of 59. Zoe Smith was the top McIntosh runner, coming in fourth. Megan Dobso and Darby Olive finished 8-9 for Starr’s Mill.

Landmark placed third in the A Private classification. Erin Fegans came in third among individual runners. The girls won the state championship the previous four years in a row and six out of the past seven.

Landmark’s boys finished fourth as a team, with Zackary Truitt (third) and Kameron Jackson (fifth) leading the way. They won three state titles since 2013.